This autumn, Repair Café won several awards. The British Shrewsbury Repair Café received a Green Award from BBC Radio. In the Netherlands, Repair Café took to the stage at the Sustainable Top 100 event organised by the daily newspaper Trouw.
We previously reported that our founder Martine Postma received the Sustainable Ribbon on 2 September. Later that month, it was Shrewsbury Repair Café’s turn. They won the Green Award at the BBC Radio Shropshire Make a Difference Awards 2025. A reaction from the happy winners: “An incredible honour and achievement, considering the nomination came from visitors to the Repair Café!” The award was presented on 26 September by radio presenters Adam Green and Clare Ashworth.
Shrewsbury Repair Café won the Green Award at the BBC Radio Shropshire Make a Difference Awards 2025. From left to right: Clare Ashworth (BBC), Adam Green (BBC), Ruth Andrew/Annie Banham/Brian Horgan (Repair Café volunteers), Dr Hezron Ottey (judge)In the Netherlands, the daily newspaper Trouw has named Repair Café the most important sustainable initiative in the field of reuse and waste. The newspaper ranks Repair Café number 1 in this category, which is part of the Sustainable 100. The Sustainable 100 was announced on 9 October at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam.
Important contribution to waste reduction
Both juries were full of praise for the impact that Repair Cafés have. The Trouw jury wrote: “Repair Café helps us to look at our belongings differently. Moreover, Repair Café shows how repairing not only reduces waste, but also brings people together and connects them.”
The chair of the Green Award jury, Dr Hezron Ottey, said: “This group makes an important contribution to reducing waste. It is said that in the United Kingdom, 80% of our waste can be recycled or recovered, but we only do this with 44%. This group is tackling this problem in an important way.”
Upon receiving the award, the team said: “It’s unusual to receive something that doesn’t need to be repaired – we thought the award might be presented in several pieces that needed to be glued back together!”
Has your Repair Café also won an award? Let us know at Repair Café International!
Grimsby In Bloom run a Repair Cafe every 6 weeks, based at their West Marsh HQ which is within a socially deprived area, nationally recognised as such. This group has won the N E Lincolnshire Council Civic Award for Environmental impact, attending our local Town Hall Awards ceremony. We can supply a photo of us receiving this award at the ceremony if needed.
We are very proud of being able to reduce waste and recycling items that have broken down.
Grimsby In Bloom joined the Repair Cafe network in April, 2023.
6 volunteers work in different skill sets to stop materials from being thrown in waste skips.
Currently, 1 volunteer has repaired over 40 faulty clocks.
Other notable repairs includes a set of 1940 Disney Xmas tree lights, a 1920 gramophone, a 1957 Ferguson record player, and an Olivetti typewriter not used for 40 years which now works perfectly.
Our local Council awarded us an Environmental.Civic Award last year – pucture already forwarded to you.